City Status Announcement - Harpy - May 2014
<> Brothers and sisters of the blood, in whose unbeating hearts eternity lies, Congratulations once again to Isrieal Romanov - now no longer 'Alder Romanov', as she has left the Invictus and joined the Circle of the Crone - for hosting such a successful Court. The city Recognizes Isrieal for her efforts, and notes the kind assistance of the ghoul Timothy Karr as instrumental to the Court's success. The night's prizes took the form of laurels: two to Justine Le Fleur, for best guessing and for best costume, and one to Jessa Winchester, for being the last one left standing. Sticking to the light-hearted for a moment longer, we must also award Master Samuel Richardson a laurel for hosting the best party Zain Rasul has attended in several years, at which many people were dared to do delicious things. As promised, we're awarding laurels for the winners of the night's game: one to Justine Le Fleur, for the most dares made; one to Elaine Ashley for the most dares accepted; and one to Nikki Kennedy for the most risky dare attempted. To more serious affairs! It's been an extraordinarily momentous month in Kingsmouth. One momentous piece of news, of course, is what we hope is the final chapter in The Rise and Fall of Mad Alder Castle. From what we hear, Master Richardson lured Yamanaka Aikiko into 'mediation' with his sire on the promise of her safety; and Alder Castle betrayed that promise with an attempt to fulfill his sister's prophetic requirements and sacrifice the Maiden to the Goddess Sekhmet. The City's thanks to Eric Driscoll, who prevented the murder from being done, and to the Shadow, who protected Alder Castle's torpored body from being given Final Death by Aikiko's understandably irate ghoul. We regret to hear that Seda Bathory apparently stood by and did nothing at all while this happened, but we understand that a conflict between blood and faith, Clan and Covenant, is always difficult. In the past, the Circle of the Crone have been strongly aligned with the Invictus. The Hierophant was an almost fanatic loyalist to the Right Honorable Isaiah Cartwright, Marquis of Derby, during his time as Prince; she sent both her childer to join the Invictus; and in the brief time he was awake, stood with the Invictus on almost every issue. Her newest childe, however, the radiant and spectacular Elaine Ashley, is definitively of the Circle, with no Invictus leanings. Add to that her opposition to Alder Castle's attempt to claim Praxis at the last Council Meeting, and we wonder whether we are finally seeing the emergence of the Circle of the Crone as an independent political force in the city, rather than their continuing to be yes-men for the First Estate. On the subject of Elaine Ashley, such an avatar of perfection is well-deserving of all the status a poor Harpy can heap on her lovely shoulders. For now, our Recognition will have to suffice. The other name on everyone's lips this month seems to be Callum Hamilton. While we have been unable to single out any specific deed of note, Callum's passion and willingness to help on any issue undeniably makes him a Valued citizen of Kingsmouth. Your Harpies debated long and hard about what status Master Richardson ought to hold. On the one hand, he is the single most influential Kindred in the city when it comes to mortal influence, he has claimed two territories as Regent and stewards another, and he now stands as the Daeva Whip and their representative on Council. All these things ought to make Master Richardson a Valued Kindred. On the other hand, he has quite publicly demonstrated the same lack of respect for the elected officials of the city so unfortunately shown by his sire, as well as Summoning and imprisoning one Valued member of the city against his will, and luring another into a near-fatal trap. Ultimately, we cannot deny that whether Master Richardson is liked or not, he holds more sway than mere Acknowledgement can accurately represent. We finally agreed to award him a single laurel for each of his accomplishments. He is not Valued, but he is Recognized. Another major event this month, though little is known beyond rumors, was the destruction of the Strix known as 'Saul', who has plagued Kingsmouth since January. While we hope to hear a more extensive report after the Council meeting, we understand that credit for this goes to Yamanaka Aikiko and her ghouls, who trapped the Strix in full sunlight. The city owes its Respect to the Deputy Sheriff for this extraordinary act of cunning and courage. A bevy of new Kindred have entered Kingsmouth, and are being made welcome in the ways appropriate to their respective clans and covenants. Of particular note is an unaligned motorcycle gang comprised of Gangrel, the 'Brides of Dracula'. We look forward to getting to know all our new citizens better. Finally, the city welcomes Alder Edward Grey to the Ruling Council, and Recognizes him as the new representative for the Invictus. We likewise congratulate Belsalam Emma Milani on taking regency of Newton, and Recognize her as the Mekhet Whip and their new representative on Council. Your loving Harpies, Zain Rasul and Duality. (OOC: The Harpies have 8 Status and 1 laurel to spend for the month. 1 status to Isrieal, Aikiko, Emma, Edward, Elaine, and Callum; 5 laurels to Sam; 3 laurels to Justine; 1 laurel to Jessa, Nikki, and Elaine.)